Noam Chomsky: I don't want followers

Political thinker and author Noam Chomsky has revealed that he does not want to give academic respectability to conspiracy theories.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Chomsky admitted that his writings, which are often critical of the foreign policy of the US, attract the interest of conspiracy theorists, but said he did not set out to gain these acolytes.

The Understanding Power writer, who specialises in linguistics and cognitive science, explained that one of the reasons he has remained lecturing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is because its 'intellectual culture' encourages people to question others' assertions rather than blindly subscribe to them.

'You don't lecture people, you get them to question, to think for themselves, not follow. I don't want followers,' he told the newspaper.

Chomsky also pointed out that his lastest work, Hopes and Prospects, tackles the view that US politicians are being 'marketed as a product like toothpaste' and examines how this affects the democratic process.

In a recent article on chomsky.info, the thinker claimed that the UK military-industrial complex is attempting to strengthen its control of the Middle East, rather than working towards stability.